Without A Purpose
by Yami Mariko
Summary: "The Invasion is canceled..." What would Zim do if his destiny and duty were thrown away in a simple sentence? For it's very difficult to go through life without a purpose... A darkish fic.


A/N - Zim!  So meanly kawaii!  It was only a little while ago that I began to like IZ , due to the fact that on that particular date, I was sick and I happened to catch IZ.  

**Without A Purpose**

            Dib had been planning this for months.  In previous times he had failed, but his plan was foolproof.  The mission:  Get a picture of Zim without his disguise.    

            He crept toward the innocent looking house.  So deceiving.  Did the world not know of the vile alien hidden inside?  He picked his camera up, all ready to snap a picture of that intruder.  Then, he began to cautiously tread through the gnomes.  Surprisingly, nothing happened.  Dib frowned.  

            Normally, Zim's gnomes would've kicked him out, or Zim would've come to the door, boasting about his superior intelligence.  Today, it was if Zim couldn't care less.  Dib threw open the door and looked around.  

            No Zim coming to throw him out.  No crazy GIR running around.  No security systems.  Dib scowled.  This was unexpected.  He slipped into the next room.  There, he faintly heard a tinny, high-pitched voice squealing, "Master!  Why won't you do anything!  Master!"  

            He followed the source of the sound. He caught a glimpse of the strange robot shedding his dog disguise and vanishing into a… toilet?  As much as he hated to do it, he slipped in after him.  He followed the noisy little robot, admiring the lab that he was in, until it came to a halt.  

            The robot was running circles around Zim.  Zim was simply staring out into space, uncaring about whatever GIR did.  GIR was saying, over and over, "Master, why are you so upset?  Did I do something?"  

            Dib decided it was time to announce his presence.  "ZIM!!  I have evidence!"  He snapped a few pictures.  "I'll reveal you to the world!  YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"  He stopped then.  Zim was ignoring him.  "HELLO??  Zim?  I'm gonna tell the entire world you're an alien!!  ZIM!!  Don't you care?"  

            Zim gazed carelessly over at Dib.  "Go away, you stinking human…  I don't want to deal with you…"  Dib frowned.  Zim usually went ballistic.  Now, even the words seemed dead.  

            Dib angrily threw his camera down.  "What's the point of doing this if you don't care?"  He stomped out, forgetting his camera in the process.  He didn't give another thought to Zim for the rest of the day, except once when he wondered, very briefly, "Wonder what was wrong with him?"  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Even Gaz, who normally couldn't care less about the strange Zim, had noticed something.  About a week ago, he had stopped showing up at school.  Everyday, at lunchtime, she would note that Zim's usual seat was empty.  

            She didn't want to admit it, but the strange kid appealed to her, and she maintained a crush on the boy who her brother claimed was an alien.  Why she liked him, she could never tell, but she did. 

            She actually knew that Zim was an alien.  Did her brother actually think that she was so wrapped up in video games that she never noted what he did?  If he did, he sure was stupid.  

            But back to the original topic.  Zim had suddenly stopped going to school.  It was whispered that he had never left his house the entire time.  Rumors flew crazily around school.  They said that Zim's eccentric dog, GIR, was seen taking off his skin, revealing a mysterious robot.   

            More rumors flew.  They said that one person had seen Zim, but he looked different.  He had big pink - _pink_ - eyes and hardly a hair on his head.  They also reported that he was apparently upset, but healthy.  The general idea was that Zim was cutting.  

            No matter how many times Gaz told herself that she didn't care about that odd boy, no matter how many times she reminded herself that he was annoying, she wanted to see him.  She wondered what kind of pink eyes Zim really had.  She wondered what it would be like to kiss an alien.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            GIR was lonely.  It felt so weird to have Zim just sitting around, not eating, just staring into empty space.  He actually liked Zim yelling at him.  He knew that it was Zim's peculiar way of expressing affection.  

            But why, he asked the silent Zim, why was he so quiet?  GIR didn't think he had done anything, but he might've.  GIR had been racking his memory, trying to figure out exactly when Zim had began acting so strangely.

            GIR's eyes joyfully lit up.  The transmission!  Zim had received a mysterious transmission, one that GIR wasn't supposed to listen to, and ever since then, Zim had been acting oddly.  

            Although GIR was a cheerful robot, quite oblivious to everything around him, he had noticed the way Zim had changed.  Before, Zim was all gung-ho, ready for conquering Earth, seemingly cold to everyone around him, but now, he was the quiet Irken who still was cold, but in a different way.  He didn't seem to care about destroying Earth.  If GIR hadn't known better, he would've sworn that Zim seemed to lost his goal in life.  

            _But that's not right.  Master wouldn't give up like that, would he?_  For once, GIR didn't even feel like eating a cupcake, not when Zim was so depressed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Zim gazed glumly at the ceiling.  He had been this way for a week, and he knew he was worrying GIR, he knew he was missing school.  He knew that even Dib was surprised by his sudden change of behavior.  

            But what was he to do in life?  He had believed this to be his destiny:  Conquering planets for Irk!  But no more…  Zim recalled that painful transmission.

            _"The conquest of Earth is going well.  We should have her in no--"  Purple cut the excited little Irken abruptly.  _

_            "Listen, **Invader** Zim,"  The word "invader" spoken with sarcasm, "We have no use for Earth or you.  You are banished to Earth, and the take over of Earth is to be stopped.  Do not contact us again."  And the transmission went blank.  _

            And all of Zim's feeble dreams had ended with it.  How could they?  Didn't they understand that he had always been eager to invade, to get recognition, to be finally told that he was top-notch invader?  

            Zim thought briefly of this planet.  He didn't even like this planet.  Now, he was doomed to remain forever.  Unless…  Yes, there was a possibility.  

            Dib was merely an annoyance, but his dream was to explain the unexplainable, to be the one that proved aliens existed.  After Zim, he would go on to find Irk, bring the rest of his planet to Earth.  

            Gaz…  What was her destiny?  Zim admitted to himself that he liked the human girl, always bent over her games.  He had noted her looking at him through the corner of her eye.  Whatever hers was, Zim thought, it was certainly better than his.  

            GIR, the faithful little robot.  He would be fine without his master.  Zim assumed that the little robot hated him.  He couldn't help but yell at the robot.   But now, GIR wouldn't be yelled at anymore.  He could eat and watch TV all day if he wanted to.  Everyone would be better off without Invader Zim around.

            Zim debated the idea, the careless idea, over in his mind.  The pros outweighed the cons.  He knew of, and had purchased a bottle of that human drug, just in case.  Now, he was going to use it.  He had studied the idea carefully in his lab.  He knew exactly how much to take to end his suffering. 

            But first, he typed his final note to GIR, hoping that he would relay it to Dib and Gaz.

_Dear GIR, _

_            I'm sorry I was so mean to you all this time.  Tell Dib and Gaz the same.  Tell Gaz…  Tell Gaz that I… that l… really liked her.  _

_Zim_

Zim looked down at the pills he held in his hand.  In a few minutes, he would be free.  He took a deep breath, and gulped them down.  Shortly, the world went all dark and dizzy, and Zim felt a surge of happiness.  He was going somewhere where dreams came true.  

A/N - I hoped you liked it.  Please review me!!!  Ja ne!


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